Multiplane shoe



Jan. 18,1927. 1 1,614,531

A. C. MENNINGEN MULTIPLANE SHOE Filed Feb. -'4, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 311 pc Mom Jam 18, 1927. ,614;53l

A. c. MENNINGEN MULTIPLANE SHOE Filed Feb. 4, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 dvhGJ/ennbgm 7 a I l I W'ZiasJJ/ Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

1,614,531 PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPH G. MENNINGEN, OF WESTALLIS, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO KOEHRING COM- PANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION.

MULTIPLANE SHQE.

Application filed February 4, 1924. Serial No. 690,567.

This invention embodies a novel construction of traction shoe. Shoes of this class are used primarily today as units of an endless traction or tread device upon which heavy machines are mounted to travel.

The manufacture of traction shoes, such as above referred to, involves some peculiar problems. These shoes, when built in accordance with the present invention, comprise off-standing pivot lugs at opposite edges of each shoe. The pivot lugs receive pintles or pivots or pivot rods, by which a plurality of shoes are connected together to form an endless chain. It is fundamentally necessary in the formation of a shoe having the pivot lugs at its opposite ends, that the axes of 'said lugs be an accurate predeterminate distance from one another, as .respects the lugs at one edge of the shoe in their relation to the lugs at the other edge of the shoe when the shoe is of an integral construction as used for the present invention..

If the distance between the centers of the pivot lugs of one edge of the shoe, and the centers of those at the opposite edge, varies to even a slight extent transversely of the shoe, a condition of non-parallelism of the pivots or pintle rods will be created. The foregoing results in the production of an endless tread of inaccurate construction, for obviously if a lug or lugs at one edge of a shoe are a greater distance from the corresponding lugs at the opposite edge of the shoe near such end, this inaccuracy of formation is many times multiplied when it is borne in mind that thirty or forty of these shoes are frequently assembled to make a single endless tread or traction member. The result would be a distorted traction member or tread construction, unless by careful matching or arranging of the treads the I shoes can be assembled to compensate for the possible non-parallelism of the axes of the pivot lugs as abovedescribed. In any event, however, an endless tread of accurate length is diificult of production when the pivot lugs are not exactly equally spaced apart respecting their axial centers, in a manner which will be self-evident from the foregoing explanation.

It is one of the objects of the present 1nvention to obtain a new construction of wholly integral traction shoe, and subsidiary to said object is involved the employment accuracy as regards the features herembefore discussed. Additionally, it is contem plated that the shoe shall be one of substantial construction possessing great rigidity and strength to enable it to stand up under the \tremendous strain and enormous wear and tear service which a shoe of this character must sustain when it forms a part of the traction support of large machines, such as concrete pavers, cranes, and the like.

A full understanding of the invention will be had upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:v

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are, respectively, top plan, front, and longitudinal sectional views of atraction'shoe made in accordance with the invention.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views corresponding with Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but illustrating a modified construction of shoe.

In the following specification and the accompanying drawings, similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout.

The drawings are referred to at this time and it will be apparent therefrom that the shoe of the invention comprises a base or tread 1, the same of a greater width than length, considering the device in the sense of the width of the ultimate endless traction member of which it will form a part. The base or tread 1 is relatively flat over its main body portion on its bottom, and it hasits side extremities,wh1ch may be termed its .ends, slightly curved upwards as shown at 1 The tread 1 is formed on its top with the front and rear flanges 2, which carry the oppositely extending series of pivot lugs 3 and 4. The series of lugs 3 are staggered in their relation to the series of lugs 4, as respects the points at which they project from the flanges 2 of the shoe. The several lugs 3 and 4 are apertured so that their openings 5 accurately aline with one another to receive the pivots or pintles by which one shoe is connectedto adjacent shoes. 7

On its top, the tread 1 is provided with longitudinal ribs 6, disposed in a slightly diagonal direction as regards the longitudinal axis of the shoe, and in addition to these ribs there are provided other accurately longitudinal ribs or webs 7, the several ribs 6 and 7 joining with the front and rear flanges 2 and being of substantially the same height, in respect to their degree of projection from the base or tread 1, as are the nated 9 and projects from the top of the shoe as an integral extension of a flat reinforcing web 10, which extends over the top of the shoe at its central portion, being united with the ribs 7 and the central portion of the rib 8. The flanges 2, ribs 6, 7 and 8 form a skeleton rib construction, virtually speaking, at the top of the shoe, designed to brace the lugs 3 and 4sagainst certain strains, to brace the whole body of the shoe at its tread both transversely and longitudinally, and to support and brace the driving'lug 9.

- The several ribs 6, 7 and 8 and flanges 2 establish open and closed cavities above the tread 1 of the shoe; the closed cavities being beneath the driving lug 9, which it will be noticed is reinforced in its connection with the shoe not only by its integral formation with the covering web 10 but through shoe, the core members which form the 0 en-.

the strengthenin connection it has with the middle of the ri 8 and the middle portion of the flanges 2.

The matter of rendering the axes of the lugs 3 and 4 accurately parallel with one another involves a peculiar casting operation. It will be noticed that the cavities a, b, 0 and d formed between certain of the ribs described have openings 11 leading therefrom to the apertures or openings 5 of certain of the pivot lugs 3 and 4. The cavities a and 0 have openings 11 which communicate with apertures of two lugs 3 an apertures of two lugs 4, respectively, whereas, the openings 11 leading from the cavities b and d communicate with only one lug 4 and one lug 5, respectively.

The driving lug 9 is hollow in its cast formation, and the cavities e and f beneath driving lug9, at opposite sides of the rib 8, have openings 12 which establish communication between them and the openings 5 of one of the lugs 3 for the cavity f, and one of the lugs 4, for the cavity e.

B reason of the formation and provision of t e openings 11, it is possible to tie cores used one for each series of the lugs 3 and 4,

to core members by which the cavities in the body portion of t e shoe are formed. The ties, for instance, may pass through the openings 11 primarially, and in the casting of the in accurate parallelism to insure the result of provided between the ribs and flanges at. the

top of the shoe, there are small open cavities g at the ends of the shoe, largely above the curved portions of the tread 1.

Reference is now made to Figs. 4 to 6,inclusive, illustrating a modified construction of the invention, and in these figures the arts which correspond with like parts of igs. 1 to 3, inclusive, are designated by the same numbers with prime notations annexed thereto. The construction of these Figures 4 to 6, inclusive, has certain advantages from a manufacturing viewpoint and affords additional reinforcing facilities as regards the strength of the shoe built in accordance therewith.

Without describing the features which are of the same construction as previously set forth, it is noted that the cavities a and b are covered by an extension of the covering web 10, which extension projects in opdpod the lugs3' and" with the body of the shoe are in no way weakened.

One of the webs 7 at the left end thereof is foreshortened and the other web 7 at the right end thereof is foreshortened as shown at 15, so that the molding stand in the cavities e" and it may pass therefrom through the openings 14. I still use the openings 13',

however, in the web 7 like those previously desoribed; Otherwise, the construction is substantially like that previously set forth.

Having thus describe my invention, what I claim as new and desire to's'ecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In the art of forming hollow cast traction shoes having opposing pintle receiving openings, forming. a sand mold for the body of such shoe and a core for the body provided with integral parallel cores for the production of said openings, and casting a shoe in the mold and about said cores while maintaining the parallelism of the cores.

2. A. hollovr cast metal ti'action for body by a cored passage through which endless chain traction belts comprising :1 cores of theopposite pintle receiving openhollow body provided on each of two oppoings are connected to the core of the body site edges with a series of lugs having portion and thereby held in parallelism duraligned cored pintle receiving openin the mg the casting o eration openings of one series being paralle with In testimony w ereof I aflix my signature.

those of the other and each opening como. municating with the hollow interior of the I, .ADQLPH C. MEN'NINGEN. 

